


Constant

by ladyjax



Category: The Avengers RPF
Genre: Gen, RPF, Yuletide 2012
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 20:23:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/601715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyjax/pseuds/ladyjax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scarlett and Chris have a history.  It's just not the history most people expect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Constant

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zauberer_sirin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zauberer_sirin/gifts).



**2011 ******

Scarlett eased back against her pillows and flicked on the hotel television, not really interested in watching anything. At most it was a way for her to take her mind off her aching body. Her fingers caught up the graphic novel she’d left by her bedside and she flipped to the page she’d tagged.

Scarlett’s iPhone beeped with an imperiousness achieved only by market domination. “I could not answer,” she mused aloud. 

Her phone beeped again. Maybe they’d just go away.

The third beep and she finally picked it up so she could see who was calling.

Scarlett snorted. Leave it to Chris to disturb her calm. 

CAPAWESOME: What’cha doin’?

BIG RED: Nothing

(The nicks were Chris’ idea - “Just in case we get hacked on set!” Scarlett did what she usually did with him: shook her head and went for the obvious.)

CAPAWESOME: Srsly? 

BIG RED: If I tell you I’d have to kill you.  
BIG RED: This is me, staying in character.

CAPAWESOME:..

BIG RED: You think I’m kidding 

CAPAWESOME: This is where you remind me you have a BAFTA and that I should work on my skills right?

BIG RED: From your lips...

CAPAWESOME: Whatever. Did you get Tom’s text?

BIG RED: Um...

CAPAWESOME: Nevermind. Get some clothes on. We’re going out.

Warning bells went off in Scarlett’s head as she thought about the paparazzi that could track them down at some club in the middle of Cleveland. Not that there had been much on that front so far;Joss and Marvel had achieved what many considered to be a minor miracle: very little had leaked from the Avengers’ set. Everyone was revelling in the relative obscurity although it did make for some boring evenings.

Conversely, letting a group of actors who happened to be playing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes loose in the streets of Cleveland, Ohio might not be a good idea. Especially if they had Robert with them. The man might be sober but damn if he wasn’t a little button pusher.

Her phone beeped again.

CAPAWESOME: Stop overthinking it. By the way, I’m already outside your door.

Scarlett rolled off the bed and whipped open the door to find Chris standing there, phone in hand, fingers poised to fire off another salvo.

“Where are we going and do I need bail money?” Scarlett asked.

Chris grinned. “Don’t you trust me? I’m wounded that you don’t trust me.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and went back to grab a jacket.

**At their super sekrit hideaway (aka Edison’s Pub) ******

Chris sipped his beer and watched Scarlett watch the woman singing up on stage. This wasn’t the first time they’d hung out during a shoot. That honor went all the way back to ‘04 and their not so great teen movie.

Scarlett had already been a hot property by then: being in an Oscar-nominated movie will do that for a person. He’d been prepared for snotty, catty, quite possibly annoying when he met her. What he didn’t expect was:

“Y’know, if this flops, our lives - yours and mine - won’t be over. I’m not too sure about everyone else.”

They’d been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the next scene when she made that observation. Prior to that the most Scarlett had said to him was “Hey” and smiled that half-smile that told you everything and nothing. So Chris felt his response was appropriate given the circumstances.

“Um, what?”  
She’d leaned over, a shock of blonde hair falling over one eye and said, “Seriously, this movie is okay but not that okay. It all depends on whether you land on your feet when it goes belly up.”

Chris didn’t know what to say then but when the movie came out and then the reviews, he remembered that conversation.

He also sent her flowers with a note that said, “Nobody likes a know it all.”

“Evans.”

The memories fell away and Chris looked around to see Scarlett stalking towards the stage. “What the hell is she doing now?”

Robert shrugged and ran his finger through the condensation on the table. “I dunno. Said something about doing something about that singer up there.”

“Is she going to be violent?” Chris H. asked, not entirely. “Scarlett doesn’t look like a scrapper.” 

Chris was thinking that maybe he shouldn’t have pushed her to come out tonight, that’d she’d finally snapped and they’d have to explain to the studio and the appropriate authorities why Scarlett Johansson had decked some drunk woman during an open mike because she sang like crap.

As luck would have it, the unfortunate chanteuse was escorted off stage just as Scarlett reached it. She leaned in, spoke to the band leader who looked shocked at first then amused. He signaled to his mates, and Scarlett took the mike.

“Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota  
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon...”

Okay, so maybe they weren’t going to have to call the cops. Chris got on his feet, raised his beer in salute and sang with the rest of the bar.

**

**2008**

“Marrying you prepared me to marry Ryan.”

Chris sat back in his chair next to Scarlett and watched as Reynolds danced with one of their guests. She looked beautiful as always.

“We got married for a movie, sweetie,” Chris said. “I’d like to think I was a good movie husband.”

Scarlett’s lips twitched. “Oh you were the best movie husband. In fact, if I could keep you as my movie husband my life would be complete.”

Chris lifted an eyebrow. “I’d think that your man might have something to say about that.” He looked out on the dance floor and saw Ryan dancing with another guest. Movie star good looks through and through and a most sexiest bod thrown in for good measure. They made a good match. He wished them well.

And when it crashed and burned, when the former couple issued their oh-so-civilized statement about the breakup, he didn’t hesitate to call.

Scarlett didn’t hesitate to answer since it was him.

“I’ve got two pints of Ben and Jerry’s and spoons. Come over.”

**

**In between**

Chris is a constant like the North Star. Movies and other work take them around the world. He texts. Scarlett calls. She’ll send him a card. Sometimes he’ll send flowers. Or a plushie.

Working in the Marvel Universe is fun and exciting in a way that Scarlett never imagined. _Iron Man 2_ was the gateway. She stood in the door, almost ready to walk away when Chris said, “Don’t.”

“Why not?” Scarlett tapped her fingers on the table, the remains of lunch sitting between them. “Superhero women are a dead end. I hate to look at it that way but look at the track record.”

“Individual films maybe, but if you hadn’t noticed, all of this is a set up for something bigger,” Chris shot back. “And if it breaks like I think it might, then, well, we’ll see.”

Scarlett smirked. “So you’re saying I should do _Avengers_?”

“Short of tying you up and shoving you into a closet until we start filming? Yes, you should do it.”

2012

They sit in the theatre on opening night with the movie unfolding in glorious color. Scarlett isn’t one of the boys and Chris never treats her that way. Robert, Jeremy, Chris H., Samuel, and Mark don’t treat her like one but they don’t treat her like she’s “The Girl” either.

They’re team and it feels so good to say that. 

The battle scene rages on and they’ve reached the point where Captain America launches Black Widow into the air to take the war to the aliens. Scarlett reaches for Chris’ hand just as his reaches for hers. She remembers each take, each time the wires whipped her into the air, the harness jerking against her body. Each time it didn’t work. Until it did.

That’s when she sees it: her face on screen, unsure but determined. Chris bracing with the shield in hand like he was born to it.

And when he launches her into the air, as sure and as straight as an arrow, Scarlett smiles and squeezes Chris’ hand. He leans over and whispers, “Badass.”

**Author's Note:**

> I usually don't write RPF but something about this request intrigued me. I hope I did it some justice.


End file.
